State Representative Steve McManus has secured a $20,000 grant from the State of Tennessee which has been awarded to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. The money will be used for a program to help warn school students and their parents about the dangers of criminal gangs.

Pictured Left to Right State Representative Curry Todd, Cordova High School Principal Tony Frigo, Sheriff Mark Luttrell, State Representative Steve McManus

“We are grateful to the State of Tennessee and Representative McManus for this grant. Teenagers and children are targets for criminal gangs. We must use every resource possible to keep these young people away from a life of crime,” said Shelby County Sheriff Mark H. Luttrell, Jr.

Representative McManus, who represents Cordova and other nearby neighborhoods, believes the Sheriff’s Office anti-gang education program will be helpful in reaching out to the youth in Memphis and Shelby County. “We want Deputies in the Sheriff’s Crime Prevention Bureau to deliver an effective and very personal message to students about the risks of joining criminal gangs. The Deputies will initially teach the sessions at Cordova High School and then make the sessions available at other public and private schools,” said Representative McManus.

Two programs have been developed, one for students and the other for parents. The sessions will feature video testimonials from both a former gang member and the mother of a former gang member. “With more and more violence in our schools, especially gang-related violence, it’s vital we get this message to students and their parents,” added Representative McManus.

Representative McManus and Sheriff Luttrell will discuss the education initiative at a news conference at Cordova High School on Friday February 22, 2008 at 10:30 a.m.. Cordova High School is located at 1800 Berry Hill Road in East Memphis.